The Glass Slippers

A little on the quiet side.

I know I have been quiet the past few day.  Just got something going on.

Actually, it is...my sons.  This weekend they will be going on their first dates.  Real dates.  One is homecoming and the other worked itself into a movie (and will not be repeated until they are older.  long story).

I always envisioned their first dates as them being together.  Funny how the first time in their lives they are doing something socially seperate from each other and it is such a BIG THING.  I mean dates!  I always pictured them going on their first dates together.  Doubling.  Whatever.  You have to be a mom of twins to get it.  Imagine all your kids going on their first dates on the same night.  Suspend your imagination.  Those of you who only have one child...you know the feeling.  Just for me it is two at the same time.

This mom's heart is feeling a little raw right now.  Ready to burst into tears because of this and also I am nearing the one year anniversary of Bailey's untimely and horribly sad death.

Morbid.  Sad.

Sorry.  That is all I can say for now.

However, I would love, love, love any advice from parents who have been there - on talking to my kids about their first date. 

Wind Prophecy

Ever since I can remember, the wind always had a mystical affect on me.  I truly believed the direction of the wind pertained to the events that were about to happen in my life.  If you don't believe me, just remember these words from Mary Poppins..(which I find to be a very magical movie/book even at the age of 44!)  Believe me, when the winds are from the East by my house, Things Happen!

Wind's in the east, mist comin' in.
   Like something is brewin' about to begin..
       Can't put me finger on what lies in store

                      
Wind prophecy
By Skyhawk

          To denote the effects about to happen just by wind alone, note the wind direction and only while at a stop or not moving, alternatively this will denote the effect by looking at a weather report. This info came from a chocoloate shop who denoted wind direction as a source for event predictions and the indians who taught the owner. Listed are the ideas that could happen as events.

n = renewal or something is renewed
nne = deterring or an event to cause deterrence
ne = chaos or a chaotic effect
ene = lawlessness or criminal activity
e = discord or disruptive event
ese = allowance or frustration event that forces acceptance
se = nontraditional or unknown event of original thinking
sse = interest or attention drawing event
s = chance or a lucky event
ssw = anarchy or purposeful crime
sw = order or organized event
wsw = law or inclusion event
w = selective or choice moment
nnw = indifference or uncared for moment
nw = tradition or a patterned event of traditional nature
wnw = enforcement or policy enactment

Post 1400!

I, once again, have many things to be grateful for on this Friday evening.

For one, my home, life, job and family are not in danger of being washed away in a horrorcane.

This week I slept wonderfully every day and woke up alert and happy.  Seeing this has been missing in my life for about 9 months, given all the drama in my life, this is a most wonderful, wonderful thing.  Like I said...my house might be a bit dusty and laundry is never caught up, but I am taking time to take care of myself and taking things slow.  I need to heal my heart and soul.  You go through what I have been through and you would have the same need.  I have seen this outlook in people who have gone through a divorce and have weathered the storm and have a need to calm their lives down and start living again.  Divorce is not the issue here but other things, compiled on each other has led me to a horrific, stressful time in my life.  Indeed, I have lost 35 pounds in these months without doing a damn thing different, other than working.  I had a wonder ful work week.  I was given many duties and responsibilities, one in which I met a client off-site and did some work for him.  It was my first time to do this and I did not even have to have anyone come along and show me what to do.  They trusted me enough make my virgin client off-site job alone.  That in itself is more of a ego booster then anyone could ever know.  At my other job, some of those jealous women would have made sure I never, ever got this duty let alone go it alone the first time.

My boys are at their friend's home.  Sleeping over as a matter of fact.  They miss their friend.  They went to grade school together from K-8.  They now go to seperate high schools and they really miss each other.  I am impressed how this group of friends make such a strong effort to keep their friendship going.  These are teenage boys and you would think it would not matter.  But the truth is, they miss seeeing each other dreadfully. 

Izzy Puppy keeps walking past the twins room and peaking inside.  I have to block the door with a pillow so he won't go in and leave "presents", for some reason this is a devilish treat for him to be in that room.  We usually don't let him go in there since it is reserved for Princess Angelique, The Feline With an Attitude Towards Puppy.  But tonight he seems to genuinly miss the boys.  This is a first.  I think spending all summer with them has forged a bond.  It is nice to think he has a bond with someone else in this house other than me, though I am his true and first and complete love.  I have never been given so much love by a pup before. 

Ever.

And that ends my simple little litany of things I am thankful for at the end of the working week.  Might seem simple, but to me it is the world.  Off to an Autumn night, with the windows open, a soft cool breeze flowing through the windows with some wine and watching scary movies with JA. 

All in a days work.

Things you don't want to hear at work:

*  Carrie has meningitis.

*  Viral or bacterial?

Things one never wants to think at work:

*  When was the last time I touched Carrie's office doorknob?

Things one does not like to see during rush hour:

*  That one asshole who has to speed up so he makes it through the light but ends up right under the light and therefore causing the entire intersection to gridlock.  I think we can all agree we see at least one of these a day, right?

Things I like when I finish a day at work:

*  Stopping at the grocery to pick up a few things and having the twins call me on my cell phone.  Don't ask, it just makes me feel productive somehow.

And of course I can not get this new horrorcane out of my mind and what my brother and sister citizens are going through right now.

Buggy things.

Things that bug me and continuing the last post...bugs themselves.  Or maybe I should call this post, "Things to gross out my blogging friends."

Things That Bug Me.  Today at least...going to the dentist and always being made to feel like I don't brush my teeth.  I brush my teeth at least three times a day here!  I have the luxury of coming home for lunch and I can brush them right after eating!  Ok, so I slack off on the floss here and there but it is not like you can't get the floss in there!

Bugs That Bug Me.  We are getting cooler nights and this means I have a mass exodus of spider evacuees in my house.  Well, ok, just one or two have shown up unexpectedly.  As for the centipedes, the cats, or at least one of them has taken to ripping those suckers apart, limb by limb by limb by limb by limb....

This is a new development.  I think it is due to the size of the 'pedes.  They used to be enormous and JA often would comment the 'pedes needed leashes they were THAT BIG!  The cats would look at them and try to look nonchalant as they sauntered away.  My cats did not fool me.  They were terrified of those centipedes.  I was too.  JA was too.  The kids were too dumb to figure it out back then.  But now they are smaller in size.  Must be a new crop.  Did you know those things can live for years?  Yes.  Years!

Still, a call to the Or*kin Man might be in order.  I can live with spiders but centipedes send me over the edge! 

Spider!

I sat there in the living room, sipping that first cup of morning coffee.  The pup snuggled in my lap.  I was watching the morning news.  The TV being the only light source.  Surrounded by darkness, the blueish glow of the TV revealed that something was slowly descending from the ceiling to the floor. 

A closer inspection revealed a spider.  A spider!  Yikes!  A spider on the floor.  I panic.  Do I kill it?  Do I take it outside?  The whole fate of the spider depended on one thing.  I had no shoes on.  Why this was my train of thought?  Not enough coffee yet perhaps?

I decided it had to go.  I manuvered around very carefully.  I got back and realized one thing...one very important thing.  I had no shoes on and I could not find it.

I don't know about you, but I don't like stepping on spiders in my bare feet.

And that is how my day started. 

How did yours start?

UPDATE:

I got to work and went to the lobby to pick up the Wall Street Journal.  Keep in mind I had a purse on one shoulder, a leather backpack on the other, a coffee cup in the left hand and my keys in the right hand.

I go to pick up the paper and one of these comes skittering out...

There was a brief moment when I thought I had won.  The spider was running away from me and I had almost snatched the WSJ into my shaking hands.

This diabolical creature had other ideas.  Twas evil he was.  Evil.

I swear to my grave that thing saw me and knew I was terrified and about to put on a great show right there in the lobby with tenants, coworkers and people passing through.  So he jumped.  I swear it...really.  All I knew was one second he was running away from me and the next he was on the paper just as I was pulling it up off the floor.

Instead of dropping the paper, I figured I could shake him off.

Wolf spiders do not fall off the Wall Street Journal that easy.  Nooooooo.  They cling as if they were strapped on to the paper with seat belts and are ready for the ride of their lives.

At one point I tried to kick brush it off with the tip of my size 5 shoe.  It was not a pretty sight.  But somewhere in my mind, I knew.  I just knew this beast would jump on me if I set it down.  I should have been more afraid he would do just that at arms length.  But see, I don't think rationally in these situations.

Me thinking:  Spider.  Spider!  OH GOD A HUGE SPIDER.  MUST GET OFF!  NOW!  MUST GET OFF NOW!

I briefly entertained the idea of just throwing it down and walking away.  But I had an audience by now and they did not see the spider, just a franctic woman kicking and shaking a paper as if the devil were in it.

I hope the receptionist at the mortgage company on the first floor got a big laugh after repeating what she saw to her co-workers.

Bitch.  I like to see her out there and be confronted with the same situation.

 

Dinner

The spaghetti was undercooked, the sauce lukewarm.  But it was a GOOD meal. 

The twins made me supper tonight.  I came home and supper was on the table and the table was set.  I even had water in my glass as I like it.

We had a good conversation about school and senior girls. 

Of course I had to clean up everything since they wanted to go down the street to see Joey.  I cleaned up sauce off the walls and stove.  I wonder what would make a kid think that stirring spaghetti sauce with a knife would do anything...constructive?  I also had to clean up the puppy who got into the dishwasher when I wasn't looking and licked up the plates.  White dog + red sauce = dog bath.

But hey...!  There are many mothers out there who would have thought they died and gone to heaven to have what I had tonight.

Look what I got!

Look Look Look!

Work sent me these for a birthday present!  My boss, in the confusion of being extremely short staffed during my hired period, wrote my birthday down as being in October instead of Septemeber.  They were a few days late but still...they did not have to do this!

Everyone was so excited when I got called to the reception area.  I was too naive to figure it out and was totally caught off guard!

Isn't it nice to work with people who are always so nice.  I got hugs again today even though my birthday passed already!

And do you think I start decorating for Halloween too early?

I love Dept 56 Halloween things.  This is just the beginning.  I have soooo many more things to put out.

hee hee

A year ago...

When Katrina passed overhead, the winds took down one of my sunflowers, leaving a small hole in the ground.  I know it is no big deal to anyone, but to me it was a big deal.  That sunflower was planted directly over little Bailey's grave.  I wanted to fill the hole up but I got distracted.  The next morning I went there and found that something was digging at that spot.  I saw her little pink blanket poking out.  I buried her in her favorite baby blanket.  I just could not "box" her in.

I now have ugly cinder slabs on top of her.

I can not tell you how disturbing that was to see.  Especially since it was a year ago when we were trying so desperately to do everything to keep her alive without compromising our own safety and her dignity.  As we all know, she had less that a month to live at this point. 

I still cry.  Writing about it here is very, very good therapy for me.  Having Izzy near me all the time helps.  He is such a sweet and loving dog -wanting for nothing but to sit in my lap.  I swear that is all that dog lives for.

Sick sense of humor.

WARNING:
Make sure you are not sipping beverages while viewing.  I am not responsible for anything that leaves your mouth.

AI admit it.  I have a sick sense of humor.  I laugh when people fall down, do stupid things and generally make fools of themselves.

These links cracked me up.

Bad Parents.  This is something I could would never do to my kids.

Air Horn Wake Up Call.  I am not sure if it is his look or his scream.  This one was viewed by the entire family at least seven times.  I nearly spit out my wine the first time I saw it.

I am not sure why I thought this one was funny.  I am sick that way.

Then there is this classic that always makes me laugh.